The Anglo-American 'special relationship' and the Middle East, 1945-1973

Smith, Simon C.

Abstract

It is widely recognised that the Anglo-American ‘special relationship’ fluctuated following the Second World War. A “Persistent rivalry” was especially evident in policy towards the Middle East and its oil. Immediately after the war, the American attitude to Palestine seemed to complicate British policy. Events in Iran also reflected the clash between the British imperative to protect its national and imperial interests in the region on the one hand, and the American preoccupation with the Cold War and containment on the other. The subsequent differences over Egypt/ Nasser are a matter of public record as are the problems which arose over the British withdrawal from “East of Suez”. Perhaps the very closeness of the relationship between the UK and the US served to heighten expectations.

Citation

Smith, S. C. (2014). The Anglo-American 'special relationship' and the Middle East, 1945-1973. Asian Affairs, 45(3), 425-448. https://doi.org/10.1080/03068374.2014.951567

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 1, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Oct 14, 2014
• Publication Date: Sep 2, 2014
• Deposit Date: May 13, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: May 13, 2016
• Journal: Asian Affairs
• Print ISSN: 1477-1500
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 45
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 425-448
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03068374.2014.951567
• Keywords: Anglo-American special relationship; Middle East
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/438079
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03068374.2014.951567
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Asian affairs on 14 Oct 2014, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/03068374.2014.951567.
• Contract Date: May 13, 2016